The 10 Most Interesting Travelers We Met This Year

From a famous rock star to a professional ghost hunter, here are the people who intrigued our readers in 2017.

Travel is about people. On trips, we try to meet as many locals as we can to get a true feel for a place. But we also love talking to like-minded travelers to get a glimpse into their lives, whether that person is an Italian winemaker or an intrepid world explorer who won’t let her disability dictate where and how she travels. Here are the 10 most interesting people we got to meet this year.

9. How to Do Piedmont Like an Italian WinemakerMichele Chiarlo—the acclaimed winemaker who has witnessed 61 vintages—shares his picks for where to eat, drink, and wander this region and taste Piedmont’s famed white truffles.

7. Vanguard 2017: Abby Falik, Founder of Global Citizen YearThe visionary entrepreneur bridges education and travel for students across the nation. Falik founded Global Citizen Year in 2010 to send high school students to developing countries, including Brazil, Ecuador, India, and Senegal, where they live with host families and apprentice with a wide range of local organizations.

Think cheese and China don’t go together? Meet Beijing’s first artisanal cheesemaker. The fascinating story tells how Liu Yang first came to love cheese, studied the craft of cheesemaking in Corsica, and got China’s capital to love the unfamilar food.

1. Advice on Learning a New Language from People Who Speak Up to SixteenLooking for a 2018 resolution? Add this one to your list. We talked to five polyglots—who speak between six and 16 languages—for their tips for learning a new language. According to these experts, anyone can do it, no matter their age. Simply follow this sage advice down the sweet-talking path to success.